Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has pointed to a minor engineering problem as the cause of rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s recent challenges in Formula 1, emphasizing that these setbacks do not reflect the driver’s skill. Following a promising start to his debut F1 season—including a fourth-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix, a sprint race pole in Miami, and his first podium in Canada—Antonelli has failed to score points in the last three grands prix.

Technical Problems Impacting Antonelli’s Performance

Shovlin explained that while both drivers in the Mercedes team have experienced a dip in results, Antonelli’s lack of F1 experience makes it harder for him to adapt to the car’s current issues.

“Not specific things that we’re doing in that regard, other than Bono’s engineering, that car knows that if we can give him a stable car, his performance will improve,”

Shovlin said. He further noted,

“The reality is both drivers have slipped backwards, but George has all his years in Formula 1 to fall back on and that’s been helping him in qualifying. Kimi doesn’t have that database of knowledge and how to drive around problems. It’s probably hurt him a bit more, but it’s an engineering problem. If we can solve that, it will certainly boost Kimi’s confidence in himself.”

Limited Adjustments Planned to Improve the Car

The team has introduced a suspension change recently, but Shovlin confirmed that other potential changes remain limited. The intent is to use upcoming race weekends as opportunities to test and understand how the modifications affect the car’s performance.

“If it doesn’t, we need to look at what else is on the table that may have changed between now and the early races. Honestly, that list is quite small by then, but as with anything, you use the race weekend very much as a forum to experiment and understand. We’re hoping that the conclusion is that this recovers it. If it isn’t, we’ve got more work ahead of us and we’ll have to get stuck into that,”

he said.

Teammate George Russell Also Facing Challenges

George Russell has also experienced a downturn in form following his race victory in Canada, which has heightened pressure on the Mercedes team to find solutions. After finishing fifth in Belgium, Russell described the team’s performance as disappointing and highlighted the need for a comprehensive review.

“Yeah, it was pretty underwhelming, to be honest,”

Russell said.

“Because we tend to favour the cooler conditions. So we couldn’t have really asked for better weather for us. But we’ve just had no pace recently. We need to sit down, all of us. We’re going to have a big meeting this week with all the designers and engineers. To sort of understand the decisions we’ve made in recent weeks or months. And why we’ve gone backwards. So hoping for some improvements in Hungary.”

Looking Ahead: Efforts to Restore Performance in Hungary

As Mercedes prepares for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the focus remains on solving the Kimi Antonelli engineering problem to help the rookie regain confidence and performance levels. The team’s limited but targeted technical adjustments, combined with increased collaboration among engineers and designers, aim to bring the car back in line with early-season form. Success in this endeavor is crucial not only for Antonelli’s development but also for Mercedes as they seek to maintain competitiveness amid ongoing challenges.